On February 12, 2026, Ryan Coogan of Reform UK won a by-election for the Fletton and Woodston ward in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. The local vote was held to fill a vacancy left by the death of long-serving Labour councillor Alan Dowson in October 2025.
This victory gives Reform UK its second seat on Peterborough City Council, with both representatives now serving the same ward. The party secured its first foothold in the area after a previous by-election win by Andrew O’Neil.
During the campaign, the party focused on local issues such as community safety and the number of houses shared by multiple residents, often called HMOs. The Fletton and Woodston area is currently subject to an Article 4 Direction, which requires property owners to get special planning permission before turning a home into a shared house.
Mr Coogan, who was previously a 2025 mayoral candidate, joins a council that is currently under no overall control. This means no single political party has enough seats to make decisions without the support of others, making this seat gain important for future council votes.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
